Truth Will Out
by Minty Badger
Summary: "Maria still had an ASBO and community service, no amount of shouting and disappointment was going to change that." Things are getting awfully complicated for Maria, who thought all she would be doing was paying her debt to society. She didn't expect to be struck by lightning on her first day. Everything that followed just got a bit out of hand. Nathan/OC.
1. Penalties will Apply

Disclaimer_: I do not own _Misfits_ nor any related characters, places or powers. All unrelated characters, places and powers belong to me unless stated otherwise._

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**Truth Will Out**  
**Minty Badger**

**Chapter 1  
"Penalties will Apply"**

The result of a drug fuelled night between a whore and an uppity drug dealer, Maria was doomed from the outset. It seemed almost certain that she was destined to a life of crime, but then her father was shot six months later and her mother left her in the emergency department of a local hospital. Things really started looking up from there.

Adopted by a surgeon and a housewife, Maria had been well off. For her part Maria led an almost virtuous life, marred only by sex, alcohol and perpetual haze of cigarette smoke. Drugs however, were not something she was particularly fond of partaking in. The odd experiment and the odd drink spike, was all the experience she had needed to find she did not like them.

Her parents, whilst not approving, were thankful that Maria was at least careful and controlled when out partying. Her sudden departure from home, to more independent living, had given them cause for concern but they soon realised that it was relatively unfounded. That feeling lasted up until Maria was arrested for destruction of property and sentenced to two hundred hours of community service. Maybe crime was just in her genes.

It wasn't that she regretted the crime; it was that she had been caught halfway through the process and had been left with a niggling feeling of dissatisfaction that followed her to the police station. In the end, all she had wanted was the truth and it was the truth that she gave to the police. Whilst they had appreciated her honesty, her parents did not. They had been furious, but she felt that they would get over it. Maria still had an ASBO and community service, no amount of shouting and disappointment was going to change that.

So there she found herself, leaning on the railing outside of Wertham's community centre, dressed in a horribly orange jumpsuit with 'community payback' stencilled across its back. Maria had never been particularly fond of orange or pants, so like the other young offenders next to her she had added her own little flair to her jumpsuit; sleeves pushed up and the zip low enough to leave the exact look of her miniscule cleavage to the imagination.

Maria had been well endowed in most of her physical traits; she was beautifully long limbed from her legs to her arms and even her fingers. Her height was almost equal to the obnoxious curly haired Irishman who stood next to her. Had she been wearing heels she would have been able to close, and even surpass, the distance. Her face, whilst pale and plain, was framed by a buoyant mass of dark curly hair that, had she left it down, fell past her shoulders. Instead it had been thrown into a hasty bun, which gave the full benefit of her eyes. According to her file they were the same blue eyes as her father, just without the red rims that made them pop in his mug shot.

It was with these eyes that she scanned her fellow offenders. During the rollcall, she had committed each of their names to memory despite the fact that when this was over she would probably never see them again. She just couldn't see herself making any kind of lasting relationship with these people, let alone get along with them.

On her far right stood Curtis Donovan. Maria hadn't needed introductions to learn his name. His name had been plastered all over the news for weeks in the lead up to his community service. Maria hadn't paid much attention to any of his achievements, her interest in athletics went as far as school sport and her interest in the Olympics was even less than that. The only thing she could show any kind of genuine interest in was his tattoo that adorned his left shoulder. She herself had collected quite a few.

Next to Curtis was Gary. There wasn't anything Maria liked about him. Everything about him seemed to be trying too hard to fit into a stereotype that didn't want him. His faux gangster attitude had worn thin rather quickly and left her underwhelmed. She figured the reason for his ASBO and community service was as bland as his personality. His face, whilst it had the potential to be attractive, was set in a frown and marred by what Maria presumed was years of drug use. She didn't like to judge people so quickly, but he just rubbed her the wrong way and it was hard for her not to.

Standing next to her on her left was the obnoxious Irishman. He had already accosted her outside of the locker rooms, lewdly taking a peek down the front of her jumpsuit by pulling the fabric away from her chest with his finger. When she had slapped his hand away, he made a point of lamenting the disappointing size of her breasts. That earned him her long, blue painted middle finger in his face which he laughed off, before introducing himself as Nathan. She didn't give him the satisfaction of hers. Yet Maria, whilst disgusted, couldn't deny that his attention had flattered her in a twisted and crude sort of way. She could not see him bothering had he thought her completely unattractive and that thought made her blush against her will.

Beside him slouched Kelly with her arms resting on the railing. Her hair was by far her most noticeable feature and Maria couldn't fathom how Kelly could stand scraping it back that far and not be in pain. If it wasn't for the ponytail set high upon her head, she could almost pass as being bald from a distance. Even from her position on the railing Maria could see the slathering of makeup across her face and the mass of eyeliner that gave her the appearance of an angry raccoon. It all looked as cheap as her jewellery.

Alisha, the last female of the group, was beautiful. There was no way anyone could deny that, but Maria found her personality lacking. It was shallow and superficial, boosted by her air of indifference when it came to those around her. She had given Maria only a cursory glance, before deciding she was unimportant and not much of a threat. Alisha was sexy; she knew it and it didn't take long for her to make sure everyone else knew it too.

Last, there was Simon. There was not much she could say about him. He was gauche, a top button kind of guy. She had arrived just after him and he had been kind enough to hold the door for her. She had given her thanks with a smile, which he returned almost reluctantly as he pushed down his fringe down against his forehead. It was awkward.

Tony, their probation worker, stood before them giving them _the_ speech. It wasn't a bad speech; it was just being said to the wrong crowd. None of them wanted to be there, none of them wanted to give back but it was compulsory act of unpaid labour that they had to do. Some would be back again in the same position, listening to the same speech once their hours were over.

Not long through Tony's speech did Maria realise that standing between Gary and Nathan had been a terrible idea. The scene descended into chaos as a fight broke out between the two. Curtis was kind enough to pull Maria out their way as they gave off some macho display of manliness. It was rather pathetic and short lived as Tony moved to break it up, angrily giving them their day's assignment after he had restored order.

Painting benches wasn't so bad. Maria worked on painting the very last bench with Simon, sitting with her legs crossed and trying to make conversation with him. It was difficult as the most he gave her were monosyllabic answers. It didn't take her long to give up as silence fell upon them. It remained that way for a good few minutes, before Gary, angered by the splatter of paint on his cap, unceremoniously stormed off. That seemed to break their unspoken code of silence as the others started up their own conversations.

If Maria tried she could hear what Kelly and Nathan were talking about but she couldn't be bothered with the effort of eavesdropping. It wasn't until Nathan suddenly rounded on Simon that Maria started paying attention.

"What about you, weird kid?" Nathan asked a satisfied smirk on his face, "Don't take this the wrong way, or anything, but you look like a panty-sniffer." Maria watched with mild disgust as Nathan took a sniff of what she presumed was a giant pair of imaginary panties.

Simon, in his defence looked horrified at the notion, "I'm not a panty-sniffer." His eyes flicked towards Maria as he said, "I'm not a pervert."

Nathan responded by wanking off his paint brush, with increasingly obscene grunts and facial expressions. All this was to goad Simon, Maria knew that and she couldn't help but sigh when Nathan was successful. Simon snapped, spitting out his true offence, "I tried to burn someone's house down."

Nathan gave a tight little laugh that annoyed Maria, "Yeah and what did you get done for, Nathan?"

"Me?" he asked indignantly, "I got done for eating some pick 'n' mix."

"That's fucking bullshit," Maria said and she could tell from the looks on Kelly and Simon's faces that they agreed with her.

"Well fine," he said pretending to be insulted, "What did you do that got your freakishly tall arse caught?"

Maria, insulted by his comment and not wanting to give him an honest answer, shot Simon a quick smile before replying with, "I'm a panty-sniffer, a real sexual deviant."

A clash of thunder overhead drowned out Nathan's response. Maria turned to look out over the water and the swirling grey clouds that were heading towards them. She had never seen a storm like that before and she couldn't quell the feeling of unease that rose in her stomach. There was something wrong.

Before she could dwell on it further, Tony arrived to check on them. The first thing he noticed was the paint can that Gary had kicked into the water. Maria didn't much feel like being chastised for something that had not been her fault. Instead she continued painting, watching as Tony threw his hands up in exasperation and a large block of ice smashed into the front of the car behind him. It was if he had summoned it from the sky.

Surprise, shock and a little bit of fear forced Maria to her feet, knocking the paint can over and splattering her pant legs with white paint. Another chunk fell into the water behind them, showering them with freezing droplets of stale water. Maria had only seen hail that size in films and she was, as Nathan put it, "_freaked out_".

Another basketball sized piece hail fell, landing in the dumpster and causing it to fall over in blast of ice and garbage. Everything went to hell from there. Large blocks of ice were falling from all angles and Maria barely registered Tony's shout for them to move. The mere idea was enough to put all of them into motion. Rain, ice and leaves assaulted them as they ran and Maria heard the shattering of glass as the telephone booth was hit.

When they reached the doors of the community centre, they were locked tight. They could only watch as he fumbled with the keys, trying to locate the right one. Kelly was screaming beside Maria which did nothing to alleviate her fear. Suddenly she too found herself screaming at Tony, panic and desperation heavy in her throat. They just needed to get inside where it was safe.

It all happened so quickly. Maria hadn't even felt her feet leave the ground, but suddenly she was in the air. Her body had twisted painfully, her limbs sticking out at odd angles. She was screaming but it was hard to hear over the roar of lightning that flashed past her body. It was like her blood had ignited as the lightning surged through her veins. There was nothing but lightning.

Reality resumed when her back hit the asphalt. Pain bloomed in her chest and for a brief moment she couldn't breathe or think. Something cold hit her face, as the final parts of the storm passed overhead, and she opened her eyes. She was blinded for a moment, as her eyes were met with the bleak light of day, but eventually her eyes adjusted and she could just see the storm clouds disperse.

"I feel really weird." she heard Kelly say. Once the pain had subsided all Maria was left with was this strange sensation that seemed rooted into her bones. She had never felt anything like it. There weren't words for it.

"That'll be the lighting." Curtis replied.

"We should be dead." said Simon. Maria tried to sit up, so she could glare at Simon for saying such a thing. She didn't want to think like that.

"That's a comforting thought."Maria muttered instead.

"A little reassurance might be nice you know; your fine, lookin' good." said Nathan, his comment directed at the probation worker. It was easy to tell by the tone of his voice that he was just as frightened by what had occurred as the rest of them.

"Wanker!" spat Tony as he sat up. Had they all not been struck by lightning Maria would have probably laughed, but she was still trying to process the fact that they had been struck by lightning to even care that Tony had called Nathan a _wanker_. Nathan, rather indignant about the insult, began questioning what they had all clearly heard. Tony just ignored him and asked if they were all right.

"We could of died you dick." snapped Alisha, like it was Tony's fault they had been struck by lightning. Maria personally couldn't care less, she was just sick of people saying they could have died. That certainly hadn't been the way she saw her day going when she woke up that morning.

"Are you alrigh'?" asked Kelly. Tony was making strange faces and it was freaking Maria out slightly. He was the adult in this situation; it wasn't reassuring to see that he was some kind of reaction to the storm, "You're actin' like a freak."

"Maybe we should call it a day," was his response.

Maria wasted no time in getting changed, she just wanted to get out of there and go home. The feeling was bolstered by Kelly's unexplained outburst as she frightened Alisha out of the locker room. After receiving a rather nasty glare from Kelly, Maria wasn't far behind.

On their way out, Nathan slung his arm around her shoulders complimenting her dress and asking if he could come round to hers. Maria was far from in the mood and instead of coming up with some witty rejection she just pushed his arm away and told him to fuck off as she headed for her flat. Halfway there she realised that after being struck by lightning and _almost_ dying, the last place she wanted to be was in her flat, with her flatmate.

Maria called her mum instead, asking if she could come around for dinner. Food was the last thing on her mind, all she wanted was to hug her mum, hug her dad and let them tell her that was okay. She wouldn't tell them what happened, but she hoped that after nineteen years of parenting they'd know that she needed them.

On her way there, having had to turn back and walk in the other direction, she couldn't help but feel that what had happened was only the beginning of something bigger. After all they'd been struck by lightning, that sort of shit doesn't just happen. On top of that something Simon said was eating away at the back of her mind. It was both tantalizing and horrifying,

"_We should all be dead_".

Maybe they were still alive for a reason.

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**A/N: So let me know what you think. Feedback is always appreciated.**


	2. Oranges and Oranges

Disclaimer_: I do not own _Misfits_ nor any related characters, places or powers. All unrelated characters, places and powers belong to me unless stated otherwise._

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**Truth Will Out**  
**Minty Badger**

**Chapter 2  
"Oranges and Oranges"**

A few weeks after Maria had turned eighteen she had gotten really drunk and wound up with a job in a bar. Maria still wasn't entirely straight on the details of her employment, having to piece together the night from the eyes of other people. According to her boss, Tom, Maria had started flirting with him – she remembered stroking a beard at some point – and talking about her need for a job. Tom told Maria he'd only considered it because she was pretty, and after cutting her off, said he would call her in the morning for a proper interview; which he did. Maria did surprisingly well with a hangover.

Her co-workers treated her as a bit of a joke, but that changed after Lily was hired about six months later. Maria was no longer on the bottom of the totem pole and proudly took on the name of 'Tavern Wench' – one of the guys was a medieval enthusiast. Yet it was only after her arrest and ASBO, did Maria gain their full respect.

So when Maria walked into work after her first day of community service, her dinner plans having been cancelled, she was met with a loud cheer from the guys behind the bar and a free round of drinks. Thankfully Maria wasn't working and she could get happily drunk... provided she was back at her flat before her curfew.

It wasn't long before Maria was approached by a semi handsome stranger. He was quick to put on the charm but something told Maria it wasn't all there, like he didn't want to be doing it. He introduced himself as Arnold and was going on about how great life was. He seemed nice enough, which was why Maria didn't object to him clasping her hand in his. That was a judgement error Maria seemed set to regret for the rest of her life.

Arnold's hand tightened painfully around Maria's, a sudden urgency and panic gripping him. Maria struggled against him but his grip was firm as he opened his mouth to speak, "I'm gay."

Maria stopped in her struggle, looking at him incredulously. His voice was heavy and rough, weighted down as it clung to his throat, forced out by some unknown force,

"I'm only talking to you because my boyfriend left me for a _woman_."

"Why are you telling me this?" Maria asked, resuming her struggle to free herself from his grip.

Arnold just ignored her, "He's over there in the booth; I'm hoping he'll get jealous if he sees me leave with you."

"Please let me go," whined Maria, using her free hand to try and pry Arnold's fingers from her wrist.

Again Maria was ignored, "I wasn't going to shag you, and I don't find you sexually attractive."

"Stop!" Maria cried finally pulling her hand free. She knocked her glass from the bar; spilling its contents all over her front as she stared in shock at what had just occurred. Yet despite her fear and confusion Maria had felt an inexplicable sense of honesty deep within in her and that frightened her even more. Arnold looked at her in confusion, then horror but before he could explain anything Maria fled from the bar and poor Arnold was left to face a very angry Tom.

Maria didn't sleep much that night. Her thoughts were occupied with pulling apart every little detail of the incident at the bar. It happened when Arnold touched her and stopped only when she had managed to free herself from his grip. Afterwards Arnold seemed pretty lucid from the encounter, if the look on his face was anything to go by. There was no logical explanation for what had occurred and when her mind finally shut down in exhaustion, Maria was left with one thought; it was the storm's fault.

When Maria arrived at the community centre the next morning she was a nervous wreck. Her hands hadn't stopped shaking since the night before, since the thing with Arnold. Her cigarette half heartedly clung to her painted lips as she tried to light it with trembling with fingers. She desperately needed a drag, to calm nerves. The last thing she needed was anybody thinking there was something wrong with her. She didn't think there was a lie big enough to cover how fucked up things had gotten last night and her cigarette wouldn't light.

To make matters worse, during the night, someone had painted "IM GOING TO KILL YOU" in big orange letters. Had she not been so preoccupied, Maria might have mused a connection between the orange of the letters and their own ghastly jumpsuits. Yet she was already anxious enough without entertaining the thought that somebody wanted to kill her. At least who ever had done it was straight to the point.

Unlike Maria, who hadn't even considered the possibility, Curtis seemed set to blame one of them for the vandalism. Maria just rolled her eyes at the accusation, annoyed that Curtis had such a low opinion of them. Yet despite this she couldn't help but think that _maybe_ one of them did and found herself putting her arm out towards Nathan before she could stop herself.

'_All you have to do is reach out_,' a voice in her head whispered, '_and you'll know the truth_.'

Maria yanked her hand back, quickly looking around to see if anyone had noticed but they were all too preoccupied with Nathan's analogy about a monkey policeman to notice her strange behaviour. A wave of relief washed over her as she swallowed the lump inside her throat. She didn't want them to know. They couldn't know.

"Maybe somebody wants to kill us," said Simon, voicing Maria's earlier thoughts on the reason behind the graffiti. It was valid statement but Maria felt it held little substance. Surely none of them had fucked up so badly as to incur someone's murderous rage. Maria had only been threatened in such a way once, but it was an empty threat and one that wasn't going to be repeated in the presence of several police officers.

Tony walked up to the group, surprisingly cheerful after what had occurred yesterday and told them to get changed. Curtis, desperate for a sympathetic ear, drew Tony's attention to the graffiti, "Someone's taking the piss."

"Yeah, terrible, isn't it?" Tony said, his voice laced with an exasperated sarcasm. Curtis just looked incredulous as Tony continued, "All this anti-social behaviour."

"Oh, is he having a dig at us?" said Nathan lighting what Maria assumed was most likely weed. She had never been fond of the stuff, but found herself aching for another cigarette. Yet when Tony snapped and demanded they hand over their phones, Maria found herself rethinking her decision. It was probably best not to raise his ire anymore than necessary. She just wished the others thought along the same lines as her.

After snatching away Alisha's phone, which now contained a photo of a rather angry Tony, he continued around the group as they reluctantly gave up their phones. Maria was careful to avoid touching Tony's skin, which was quite a feat considering that they were still shaking. Maria didn't catch the odd look Kelly gave her as she and the others moved inside the community centre.

It wasn't until they were all gathered in the locker room that Maria noticed the absence of Gary, like one notices the absence of the third wheel. There was none of that awkward tension as they conversed. Maria didn't concern herself too much with it; there were plenty of reasonable excuses for his absence.

Maria was leaning up against her locker, half listening to the conversation around her and half trying to keep her hands from shaking. She didn't even look up as Kelly wandered over to her, "Are you alrigh'?"

This was exactly the kind of question Maria wanted to avoid. She had never been a good liar, but she managed to out a quiet, "I'm fine."

Kelly didn't look convinced and Maria didn't blame her. It was hardly a _convincing_ performance, but Kelly was kind enough not to push it further. Maria wished she could say something but they'd all just think her a freak. Suddenly revealing that when she touches people they start spouting out the truth wasn't on the top of Maria's list of things to do. She wasn't stupid, she had read comics and watched cartoons, but she was hoping that it was a one off because the storm had fucked with her head. Maria wished it was that simple.

"You know after the storm, did any of youse feel like dead weird?" asked Kelly, pausing in her efforts to clear the wall of the letter 'G'. Marie didn't look up, didn't even acknowledge Kelly's inquiry. Nathan as usual responded with an inappropriate joke about his anus. Nathan had been strangely quiet around Maria after yesterday and she thought it odd he hadn't tried to sexually assault her again. Maybe he just wasn't interested in her anymore.

"Something happened to me," Simon said nervously, which piqued Maria's interest. If there was even a slim chance that she wasn't alone Maria would take it. She desperately wished she wasn't alone in this.

"Are you a virgin?" asked Nathan, a perverted grin on his face. Maria wondered if he, like Arnold, was gay. Regardless of Nathan's sexual orientation, she didn't appreciate his teasing of Simon or how he had interrupted what might have been a life changing moment. As Kelly shouted at Nathan to shut up, Maria hit him on the back of the head with her brush. Kelly urged Simon to continue and Maria was sure her eyes were pleading at him, but the damage was done and Simon crawled back into his shell with, "It's nothing."

There was a brief moment where Maria wanted to attack Nathan, but Kelly beat her to it. She forcefully shoved Nathan away from her and into Maria who, only by chance, caught him before he fell to the ground. When Maria realised that she had grabbed Nathan's hand, she dropped him. Ignoring his protests Maria just looked at her hands, smiling as her elation grew. She had touched Nathan and he hadn't immediately started spilling out his secrets. Maria wanted to jump for joy, she was okay. She wasn't a freak.

After Kelly had stormed off, they decided to head inside and relax. Maria sat with Alisha and the two made some awkward small talk until the guys arrived; Nathan attempting to rape the vending machine. Maria was close to believing that he suffered from some kind of brain injury and narcissism. Well the jury was out on the brain injury, but Maria was pretty certain Nathan was a narcissist. The man had the audacity to try and "divide them (the girls) up". It was one conversation Maria wished she hadn't walked into. Alisha was easily passed over to Curtis because she'd have to be "treated really well". Maria had stayed because she was curious as to where she would go. Apparently Nathan was still trying to decide between her, the tall one, and Kelly. As soon as he was certain about who it was he wanted to shag, Nathan had promised he'd let Simon know; unless he wanted both. Maria wasn't that desperate that she'd wait around for some prick to decide if she was worthy enough to bed.

"When I was in sixth form you came to my school," Alisha said to Curtis, bringing Maria back to reality. She hadn't known Curtis did talks about athletics and all that inspirational crap. At her school, some uptight upper middle class boarding school, they always bought in the rich and famous to keep with the schools aesthetic. Maria told voiced this, mostly because she could see Curtis was uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.

"That explains the accent," Nathan replied sarcastically. Maria glared at him and Nathan manoeuvred his unnecessary wheelchair towards Curtis, "Hey, I'm guessing you're not going to the Olympics."

Alisha and Nathan began debating the nature of Curtis' drug related crime until he eventually revealed the truth. Turns out he was done for possession. Nathan went on about how much of a disappointment Curtis must be. Maria honestly wasn't surprised by what happened next. Curtis lunged forward screaming at Nathan. Nathan curled up in the wheelchair but was forced to look towards Curtis, who with one hand had him by the lapels. Curtis' other hand was raised into a fist and was shaking with anticipation. Maria, not wanting a fight, grabbed Curtis' arm pulling him back from Nathan who snidely remarked, "You can't hit a guy in a wheelchair."

Curtis shrugged out of Maria's grip and threw her an angered look. Maria just sat back next to Alisha, silently gleeful that _it_ had not happened again. Alisha broke the remaining tension by forcibly regaling them with the tale of her arrest. It started off trivial enough but by the end, and after an impromptu blowjob given to her drink bottle, Alisha had the boys like putty in her hands. Maria had already removed herself from the scene and was waiting near the door when Kelly burst through the door.

Kelly tripped, landing hard on the floor but that didn't seem to faze her as she quickly scrambled to her feet, locking the door behind her. She looked completely terrified as she told them, "'e's goin' ta kill os!"

"Nice entrance," laughed Nathan, completely ignoring Kelly's revelation, "Very dramatic."

"The probation worker's gone mental, 'e's just attacked me." said Kelly. Maria looked at Kelly thinking this was all just a joke, but Kelly was too distressed to just be making it up. Part of her believed Kelly, but another louder part didn't want to acknowledge that anything strange was happening at all. Maria was sure that if Kelly was telling the truth, it would all come down to the storm. Maria didn't want that to be so, not after the thing with Arnold and most definitely not after it was a one off occurrence. Yet sometimes what Maria wanted wasn't what she got.

"Somethin' really weird is happenin'," cried Kelly and Maria's heart stuttered lightly, "I'm hearin' these voices in my head. It's like I can hear wha' people are thinkin'."

"Aw, have you been sniffing glue?" asked Alisha, her tone was nasty and Maria wanted to slap her. Even if Maria was screaming at herself that there was no way that it could be true. It was a one off, it didn't just keep happening. It wasn't true. Yet that feeling of desperation, like before with Simon, welled up inside and even though she didn't want to; Maria needed to hear what Kelly had to say next.

"The storm – the lighting," Kelly yelled. Maria visibly sagged. Her own suspicions and certainties were all well and good, but to hear someone else say it was like concrete confirmation. "I don't know, it's done somethin' to os."

"OK," Nathan said wheeling his way over to Kelly, "If you can hear our thoughts, what am I thinking now?"

"You think its bullshit," Kelly said after a moment.

"Course I think its bullshit!" exclaimed Nathan, "You don't need to be a mind reader to know that."

Kelly, having been absent for the afternoon, asked Nathan about his sudden need for a wheelchair. It came back to his anus. It was unsurprising that Kelly responded with a kick to the shins. Nathan reeled back, clutching his leg tightly to his body. Kelly looked ready to attack him, but Curtis stepped in with, "What do you mean the probation worker attacked you?"

"This does sound like complete shit," supplied Alisha. That had been Maria's first response. After Tom had called her to check on her and told her Arnold's hurried explanation as he was chased out of the bar. It was easier to believe that Arnold was lying, that he said those because he wanted to, not because there was something wrong with her, not because she forced it out of him. Yet the more Maria thought about it, the more she knew there was something horribly wrong.

"He is out there and he chased me!" Kelly cried in frustration.

"Something's happened to me too," Simon said looking to Kelly.

"Did you pop your cherry?" asked Nathan. It was amazing how he just seemed to carry his perverse humour from one situation to the next. "Ah, we are all very happy for you."

"Earlier on, when we were in the locker room…I was invisible," Simon ignored Nathan, but there was a hesitancy in voice, "I turned invisible."

"So, she's psychic and you can turn invisible," Curtis laughed, "That seems likely."

Maria had to say something; she couldn't just let Simon and Kelly be treated as if they were crazy. It was real, it was all real and Maria had to say something, "Kelly's not the only one."

"You can read minds as well?" Nathan asked, "Tell me what I'm thinking, maybe you're better at it then she is."

"That's not what I mean," Maria stressed, imploring them to listen. "It was only a one off, but I touched this guy at a bar last night and he just started telling me things, telling me the truth."

"So?" said Alisha looking at Maria as if she was stupid, "He was probably just drunk or trying to get in your pants."

"You don't get it, he went all funny when he grabbed my hand," Maria said, only Simon and Kelly looked like they believed her. "He wouldn't let go and just kept telling me stuff about his _boyfriend_ and when he finally let go he said I made him do it... I made him tell the truth!"

"You expect us to believe any of that?" asked Nathan.

"It's the truth!"

"Come on," he said holding his hand out, "make me tell the truth."

"I told you it was a one off," Maria said meekly, knowing she had lost the others excluding Simon and Kelly. "I mean I touched both you and Curtis before and nothing happened."

"Perhaps you're all just crazy!" Alisha said, exasperated.

"I believe you," Simon said trying to offer an increasingly distraught Maria some comfort.

"Speaking off believability," Nathan said turning to Simon. "Did anyone witness this miraculous disappearance?"

"You were all there," defended Simon.

"I think we might have noticed you disappearing into thin air," said Alisha.

"You didn't," Simon said. There was desperation there, something he shared with Kelly and Maria, as he too tried to convince them that the storm had done something, "I was standing right there. You couldn't see me."

Nathan wheeled over to Simon, demanding he turn invisible. Simon went rigid, the strain clear in his face and Maria felt nothing but pity when Nathan deemed Simon's attempt a success. Simon waved his hand in front of Nathan's unfocused eyes, ignoring the fact that everyone else was staring right at him. Nathan responded by throwing his empty can at Simon's head, "You're invisible!"

"You three are hilarious," he laughed. "Really, keep taking that medication."

Nathan began wheeling towards the door, but Kelly stopped him. She pleaded with him not to go out, but he just couldn't believe that the probation worker was waiting out there to kill them. Maria put her hand on his shoulder and told him to trust Kelly and believe they weren't crazy. That something really strange was happening. A look of disgust briefly crossed Kelly's features as she watched Nathan look between the two females pinning him to the chair.

"She's telling the truth," Curtis said suddenly, surprising them all. Maria just looked at him, wondering where the change of heart had come from.

"And you know this how?" asked Nathan wheeling away from Kelly and Maria. "I suppose you're psychic now too."

"All this," Curtis breathed out. "It's already happened once."

"I opened the door, the probation worker he killed you," he continued pointing at Kelly. "You were right there. You were dead. Everything froze. You were all just standing there. Time went backwards."

"What are you saying?" asked Alisha. "What you turned back time?"

"This just gets better by the second," said Nathan getting up from the wheelchair. He sauntered over to the door ignoring the protests of both Curtis and Kelly. Nathan didn't even open it all the way before slamming it shut again, "He's right, the probation worker's gone mental."

Nathan dragged Maria back as Tony began pounding on the door. Maria didn't realise he was touching her cloth covered arm and not her skin, she was more preoccupied with the realisation that the graffiti hadn't been lying and she wasn't the only one to make the connection. Maria leaned into Nathan as Simon ominously reminded them that Tony had taken their phones and that they had no means of calling the police. Curtis bought their attention to the lack of banging coming from the door and they all moved away from each other as Alisha berated Kelly for not running for help. That was one fight Maria didn't want to be a part of.

"Can we just get out of here?" asked Alisha, after Kelly had chewed them all out for being so judgmental. Alisha turned around and started running down the corridor. Curtis directed them towards the back entrance. Maria followed Curtis, Nathan by her side until suddenly he wasn't Maria. Coming to a stop, she gasped in horror as Kelly asked, "Is tha' blood?"

Nathan had slipped in a pool of blood. The dark liquid had seeped out of one of the lockers, pooling at the bottom and spreading slowly across the floor. Nathan furiously rubbed his hands against his jumpsuit, desperately trying to rid his hands of the macabre substance.

Curtis slowly advanced towards the bleeding locker, his hand reaching out to grip the latch. They all waited with bated breath, a perverse sense of curiosity drawing them closer. A moment passed before Curtis opened the locker, Gary's limp and lifeless body falling forward, jammed tightly within the confines of the locker. There were screams and Maria was sure that one of them was hers.

"I did wonder what had happened to him," said Nathan croakily, staring at Gary's blood soaked corpse. Maria had wondered too, but had never expected that Gary could be dead.

"He's going to kill us," cried Alisha meekly. Looking at Gary was like seeing their fates all laid out before them. Tony was going to kill them; he wasn't going to rest until they were all dead.

"Turn back time," ordered Nathan. "Stop this happening."

"I don't know how it works!" exclaimed Curtis.

"Aw, that's great," moaned Nathan. "That's really useful!"

Curtis just ignored Nathan and moved towards Alisha and grabbed her arm to try and coax her away from Gary's body. As soon as he touched her skin, it was like a lightning rod had been shoved down his spine. He went rigid, gasping for her before claiming his desire to have sex with Alisha, even going so far as to undo his pants.

"Get off me you freak!" screamed Alisha pushing him off. Maria recognised the confused look Curtis' face and tried to stop an angered Alisha from slapping Curtis, but wasn't quick enough. Instead Curtis grabbed her wrist, reiterating his desire to shag Alisha "senseless".

Again Alisha managed to pull herself free and Curtis was oblivious to all that occurred, leaving Nathan and Kelly to fill him in about his sudden sexual perversion. Maria didn't care about any of that. It was like what had happened to her; only different but the premise was the same, "It was when he touched you."

Alisha looked at her hands as if they were foreign objects before pressing her fingers to Simon's neck. Like Curtis his body went rigid as he turned towards Alisha, "I'm so hard for you. I want to rip your clothes off and piss on your tits."

"What is happening to me?" cried Alisha ripping her hand from Simon's neck.

There was a loud cry and the window behind the shattered as Tony leapt through; landing chest first on the ground. Picking up his scythe like piece of corrugated metal, he pushed himself up from the ground, rushing towards them. Maria was certain they were going to die, but then Tony fell to the ground and Kelly stood behind him, the paint can still swinging in her hand as blood dripped lightly from its edge.

"Is he?" asked Maria, looking at Kelly. "Is he dead?"

"Well, I'm no doctor," said Nathan, voice thick with fear and uncertainty. "You see the way the back of his head's caved in like that..."

Maria's hand sought comfort, grabbing onto Nathan's and she almost cried when she felt his hand tighten painfully around hers. She had thought... and of all the times. Nathan turned to face her, "When I was twelve I accidently ran over my dog."

Before anyone could respond to Nathan's sudden outburst, Tony suddenly grabbed Kelly's ankle screaming "chav". The shock was enough to release Maria from Nathan's grasp, sparing both from any further humiliation. They watched in revulsion as Kelly began stomping on Tony's already battered skull, the cry of "I am not a chav" accompanying each blow. When Tony's hand finally relaxed and rolled limply off her shoe, did Kelly and the rest suddenly realise what the extent of what they had done. Of what Kelly had done.

"You killed our probation worker," said Alisha.

On the bright side, Maria's hands had finally stopped shaking.

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**A/N: Apologies for the wait and thank you to all who reviewed and subscribed. Feedback is always welcome, positive and/or negative.**


	3. Gal Pals

Disclaimer_: I do not own _Misfits_ nor any related characters, places or powers. All unrelated characters, places and powers belong to me unless stated otherwise._

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**Truth Will Out**  
**Minty Badger**

**Chapter 3  
"Gal Pals"**

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The thing Maria loved most about her flat was the small balcony. When she first moved in, she'd managed to squeeze a beach chair against the railing. It was there she found herself, cigarette in hand as she eyed the naked man lying in her bed. Maria had never meant to take it further than a first name and some fondling on the couch, but two near death experiences in two days made her desperate for some sort of affirmation that she was still breathing. If that meant screaming out the name of a man she'd only just met, then she'd do it all over again. Her only regret was that she was walking away from what might have been a potentially sweet romance. Maria only wished she knew her reasons.

It would be left to Claire, Maria's older and sexually voracious roommate, to give Maria's apologies. Claire didn't ask why when she caught Maria sneaking out of her own flat, just said that Ben was kind enough to understand. It was through Rex, Claire's long time boyfriend, that she met Ben. Claire had been giving Maria the pitch for weeks before eventually taking matters into her own hands.

Maria had arrived home after burying the bodies of Tony and Gary; even if Nathan couldn't remember, Maria was making a conscious effort to never forget their names. She expected Rex and Claire to shagging, a sight she had grown reluctantly used to walking in on. Instead she found them in the kitchen, Ben with them. Claire had been all smiles and faux innocence but it was clear to both Maria and Ben what it was she was trying to do. All Maria wanted was a dignified retreat to her room with a bottle of wine and packet of cigarettes clutched firmly in her hands. Claire and Rex simply wouldn't allow it.

In the end it hadn't been so bad. They'd found themselves so deep in conversation that when Claire's cries of ecstasy started permeating the walls, they didn't even notice. At first Maria feared her power would kick in as they began getting more intimate and moved to pull away, but Ben pulled back first. He was babbling about how he didn't _usually do this sort of thing_ and Maria realised that no matter what happened he wouldn't be the one to leave, but he wasn't going to stay if she didn't want him too. This was all down to her.

So she kissed him.

Why she did what she did was a mystery to her. Maria liked to think it was because she was a murderer or that she had a power that would send any sensible man running. Nathan had certainly made a point of avoiding her touch. In reality that was it. The way Nathan looked her had changed so suddenly in the space of a few short minutes and part of her, whilst disgusted, wanted him to look at her the way he did before. She didn't know if it was jealousy of not having a power of his own or that he feared her ability, the same way she feared Kelly's. The thought of someone being able to invade Maria's mind, even unwillingly and uncontrollably, was frightening.

Somehow that didn't lessen the guilt.

Letting out a frustrated sigh she pushed open the doors of the community centre, finding only Nathan and Simon waiting by the unopened locker room. Simon stammered out a small greeting, a blush staining his cheeks when he realised that Maria was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing yesterday. The implications were clear.

"Did you get laid last night?" asked Nathan, blunt as ever.

Maria blushed a deep shade of red. She should have gotten a fresh pair of clothes, but hadn't wanted to risk waking Ben by rummaging through her wardrobe. Stealth had never been a strong point. Instead she had picked through the clothes scattered about her room, half asleep, and dressed in the hallway.

"If I did?" Maria eventually snapped.

"I'm just disappointed it wasn't me you were riding all night," shrugged Nathan. Maria just blushed harder; not noticing Simon's phone was directed at her, filming her every action and reaction. Was there anyway Maria could escape this with her dignity?

"Imagine those legs," Nathan was talking to Simon now, his hands moving outward as if he were trying to part the Red Sea, "Spread wide open."

"Could you stop?" growled Maria, shifting her legs uncomfortably. He just ignored her.

"I know the breasts are disappointing." Nathan cupped his hands below his nipples as he held an imaginary pair of breasts that were far larger than Maria's own meagre pair, "I prefer something with a bit more flesh. What do you think weird kid?"

Simon's terrified eyes flicked towards Maria, who was growing increasingly irate as Nathan talked about her with such... _disrespect_. Before Simon could even stutter out a simple _I_, Nathan continued talking, Simon's opinion bearing no weight whatsoever.

"Her legs though," he flashed a grin, "More than make up for it."

"Is this your roundabout way of complimenting me?" demanded Maria.

"Of course it is luv."

"Well you can go fuck yourself."

"If only that were possible," Nathan sighed, a wistful look crossing his features.

"You are such a prick," Maria scowled. Her thoughts drifted back to Ben and the night they spent together. It certainly wasn't the best she'd ever had but it was up there with some of the more memorable shags of her life. Maybe that was because murder had been committed hours beforehand.

"Ew," Maria hadn't even heard Kelly enter the community centre. "Did you 'ave a shag las' nigh'?"

"She most certainly did!" said Nathan, stretching his arms and legs in an exaggerated act of misplaced pride.

"With 'im?" asked Kelly frowning. Maria had no idea why her shagging a guy; any guy seemed to matter so much. Maybe it really was the whole the murder thing.

"God no!" cried Maria in disgust.

"Hey!" Nathan shouted indignantly.

"What does it matter anyway?" asked Maria, "So what if I got laid last night?"

"You got laid?" questioned Alisha, who had just entered the community centre followed by Curtis.

"Oh my God!" Maria barked, throwing her hands up in frustration. Thankfully their new probation worker appeared with a set of keys to open the locker room door. As soon it was open Maria stalked inside, only to be questioned further by Alisha and Kelly, questions that Maria tried her best to ignore.

"Not that it's any of your business," Maria said pointedly a she zipped up her jumpsuit. "It sort of just happened."

"Are you sure you aren't one of those weirdoes that," Alisha gestured for both Kelly and Maria to lean closer, "you know, get turned on, by like, dead bodies and shit."

"I once dated a bloke who got off on gettin' whipped," stated Kelly candidly. Alisha nodded in understanding, whilst Maria just looked more frustrated than before.

"When I say it just happened," Maria spat through clenched teeth, each word slow and deliberate as if speaking to a child, "I mean it just happened. I never meant to spend the night with him."

"Who did you spend the night with?" asked Alisha, leaning her back against her locker.

"Did we suddenly become fucking gal pals overnight?"

"It was just a question," Alisha stated defensively.

"He's a friend of a friend," Maria said, her voice tight. "Happy?"

"Are you gonna see him again?"

"What is wrong with you?" Maria practically screamed, before switching to a more subdued tone. "You'd think the murder of our probation worker and what might be our last day of freedom would be more important than me getting my leg over."

"I was just trying to be friendly," huffed Alisha. "You know get to know you."

"I –" Maria didn't really know what to say to that, instead looking to Kelly who just nodded her head in confirmation. Obviously the two of them had chatted after Maria's hasty departure yesterday and worked through their blatant differences. "Alright then."

Their new probation worker turned out to be a woman named Sally, whose first order of business was to question them on the disappearance of both Tony and Gary. Maria noticed how Nathan surreptitiously shifted away from her. Maria could understand the logic, even if she didn't appreciate it. It wasn't like she was going to suddenly grab him and force him to tell this woman, Sally, every dirty little secret including the deaths of Gary and Tony.

What Nathan did next surprised her. He put his hand up and there was a stomach clenching moment of fear that he _was_ going to reveal the truth. Maria almost wished he had, instead of being forced to endure what was a rather graphic rendition of Tony and Gary's _illicit homosexual affair_. There was a pang as Sally quickly removed herself from their presence, looking... heartbroken?

"Well I think we got away with it," said Nathan pleased, as they stood on the roof of the community centre, the day having gone by without the police arriving to arrest them.

"Do you actually believe that or are you just really dumb?" asked Curtis.

"I actually believe that." said Nathan proudly, pinching Maria's just lit cigarette and abruptly changing the subject, "I mean I was there. I should have one of these bullshit powers."

"You can 'ave mine," Kelly scowled. "You want to 'ear wha' people are thinkin' 'bout you?"

"Not so much," Nathan deflected. "I want something good, something from the A – list."

"Maybe you can fly," suggested Simon.

Alisha sighed, exasperated at Simon for encouraging Nathan, "He's not going to be able to fly."

"If anything he's just a super prick," said Maria lighting another cigarette to replace the one Nathan stole, "I mean that has to be a super power right?"

"There's always someone who can fly," Nathan said standing on one of the surrounding chairs, finger pointed at the group in defiance. As it were, there isn't always someone could fly.

After a few moments of silence, during which Maria was occupied by thoughts of testing Nathan's _flying theory_ by pitching him off the roof.

"So what happens now?" Curtis asked, looking to the group for an answer, "Is this it? Do we stay like this forever?"

"What if we're meant to be like superheroes?" Simon said, his voice holding more confidence than Maria thought him capable of. She couldn't help but disagree, but couldn't fault him for dreaming.

Nathan scoffed, "You lot, superheroes? No offence, but in what kind of fucked up world would that be allowed to happen? Superheroes, I love this guy – you prick!"

"I thought you'd love to see these legs in a tight latex costume," Maria said with venomous sweetness.

"Well..."

"What if we're not the only ones?" asked Kelly. "What if there are loads of people like us all over town?"

"No," Nathan said, shaking his head. "That kind of thing only happens in America. This will fade away. I'm telling you, this time next week; it'll be back to the same old boring shit."

As Maria looked out over the water, she had a hard time believing that what Nathan was saying was true.

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**A/N: Sincerest apologies for the wait. Mass Effect and Dragon Age have been clouding my muse. Plus as I was writing the opening paragraphs, I was writing [SPOLER ALERT] a scene Enough excuses! I hope my Nathan isn't too OOC (nor Alisha and Kelly) and that you enjoyed the chapter. Also thank you to my five reviewers, thirteen subscribers and four favouriters. I don't want to beg for reviews but any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I can only get better with aid of you, the readers. Lacking that, my ego will just take your silence as appreciation of my greatness. Anything to help me sleep at night.**


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